Disowned
by CocoNini
Summary: One-shot challenges for Nightclan. Stormkit was born different. Really different. She was silver while her siblings and parents were ginger and black. (I know, not genetically possible, but hey! It's a fanfic :P) Her grandmother (mother's mother) was killed by a silver cat and her mother has a strong hatred for silver cats. Will she be disowned or was it all a dream? T for suicide.
1. Chapter 1: Different

**_Hey guys! I'm making a one-shot challenge for Nightclan :3 Thanks for reading!_**

**Disowned**

Darkstream cried out as pain rippled through her body. She felt a paw touch her heaving stomach and she gasped. "Blackflower!" she wheezed. "Help!"

The medicine cat narrowed her eyes. "The first one is coming. Push!"

The queen looked over to her mate who gazed at her with panicked wide eyes. "It's ok, Darkstream," the tom murmured, obviously trying to calm himself as much as his mate. "I'm here."

The queen reached up with her paw trying to touch him, but a spasm shook her whole body and the first kit slid out. Blackstream quickly licked the kit the wrong way until she felt a tiny heart beat getting stronger by the second. "A she-kit! Ginger, just like you Foxtooth," the medicine cat announced looking at the queen's mate.

Foxtooth purred as the second kit emerged. The tom licked the kit just as the medicine cat had and the kit began breathing. "Black," he whispered to his mate. "This one is like you. A tom by the way."

The three cats paused waiting to see if there was another. "I think that's it! I'm going to-" The medicine cat was cut off by a screech from Darkstream. The last kit came out and Darkstream shuddered. The other two cats stared at the kit a second before Blackflower nudged the small kit. "Dead..."

"No!" Foxtooth cried. He ran up to the kit and licked it over and over. "It's alive! I know she is!"

The medicine cat shook her head sadly. "It's gone, Foxtooth."

The supposedly dead kit let out a feeble cry and the three cat's heads snapped in its direction. "I told you she was!" Foxtooth insisted. He pushed the kit towards the other two kits who were already feeding and the she-kit whined in protest.

"She's silver!" Darkstream hissed and pulled the other two kits closer to her.

"So?" Foxtooth growled.

"There is no room for silver kits in my litter," she mewed with disdain.

"She is your kit! You _will_ feed her," he snarled.

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Stormkit looked around sadly. Three moons had passed, all of them the same; with her two siblings, Shadekit and Flarekit, teasing her, her mother snarling at her while treasuring her other two kits, but her father was her little paradise. That one thing that keeps you safe from the horrid world.

She saw that this day was no different from the others when she spotted her two siblings stalking up to her. "Shadekit, Flarekit," she mewed coldly.

"Hey there sis," Shadekit sneered. "Having fun being the smallest and the weakest? You're definitely shame our family."

Stormkit didn't answer, but looked away. "How about being talked about behind your back?" Flarekit added.

Stormkit glared at her sister. "I'm sorry," she muttered. She knew what the other cats gossiped about behind her back.

_"_Is she sure that is her kit?" she had heard one cat whisper.

"It's so, weird..." another cat had scoffed.

"I don't even think that is a kit." a tom had growled.

But among these devastating words, one cat had given her the will to live. The deputy, Foxtooth. She padded away from her siblings, head raised high. "Father?" she mewed.

"Yes, my sweet?" the big tom answered.

"My siblings are picking on me again..." she admitted ruefully.

"Wait a second," he muttered. "Snowfeather! Take two warriors and Crowpaw with you on a hunting patrol."

Stormkit waited patiently as her father assigned more patrols before turning back to her. "Yes?" He asked again.

"It's just that my siblings were teasing me," she repeated. "I'm sorry for bothering you. I know you are busy."

"Anything for you, little one," he purred. "I'll go talk to them."

"Thank you, father," she murmured, heading to the nursery.

She heard a hiss as she went in. "Stormkit," her mother sniffed. "Or should I say Unwantedkit."

"Why won't you love me?" Stormkit wailed.

"If you wanted my love, you shouldn't have been silver!" Darkstream snarled. "How could you even _be_ silver. Neither me nor Foxtooth are silver."

"I'm sorry..." she mewed for the third time that day. "But why do you hate silver so much? Why don't you hate Silkyfur or Rainsplash because they're silver?"

"A silver cat killed my mother so now you, a silver cat, will lose _yours!_" she explained, a crazed look in her eyes. "I can't be Silkyfur's or Rainsplash's mother can I? But I am yours and you will pay." Darkstream ran out of the camp followed by Stormkit.

"Darkstream! What are you doing?" she screeched.

"What I should have done a long time ago," her mother answered. The black queen stopped at the edge of the gorge and turned around. "Good bye, Silverkit."

"No! I'm Stormkit, not Silverkit," she cried. The silver kit raced forward trying to pull her mother away from the deadly fall, but was too slow. Darkstream stepped backwards into nothing and fell.

Stormkit collapsed at the edge crying. She felt a presence approach her. "Foxtooth?" she asked hopefully.

"No," Shadekit breathlessly meowed. "I saw what happened." Stormkit blinked. This was probably the first time her sibling had been nice to her. "It's all you fault!" the black kit snarled. "It's your fault she jumped!"

"If you hadn't been born, she wouldn't have died," Flarekit spat. "It's your fault!"

Stormkit almost took a step back from the ferocity of their words. Foxtooth stepped out of the bushes behind his black and ginger kits. "What happened?"

"Darkstream jumped into the gorge because of her," Flarekit hissed. Stormkit could only shake her head sadly since it was true.

"Stormkit? You killed her?" Foxtooth's eyes filled with pain. "Why? I trusted you! I thought that everyone was wrong and that just because you looked two moons too small for your age or that you were too scrawny and weak to do anything wan't going to hold you back."

"B-but it wasn't my fault," she protested.

_Yes it was..._

"We all know it was, Stormkit," Shadekit sneered. "Don't deny it."

_They're right..._

"I'm sorry Foxtooth," she wailed.

_Admit it.._.

Foxtooth looked away, unable to hold her desperate gaze. "You killed her. You killed my mate. I understand that she wasn't very nice to you, but you didn't have to kill her!"

_...You killed her..._

"I-I..." she began. She dropped her head in defeat and ran into the forest.

_Murderer..._

_Killer..._

_Traitor..._

_You killed your own mother..._

"Shut up!" she screeched to herself. Her knees buckled and she fell onto her side tears streaming down, plopping on the ground. "I'm sorry..."

x

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"Stormkit?" Foxtooth asked gazing down at her. She looked around to see that she was back in the nursery. _Could it have only been a dream?_

"Foxtooth? Where's Darkstream?" she asked hopefully.

He stared at her blankly. "Darkstream? Whose Darkstream?"

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_**Author's**_ **Note: **Dun dun dun! I might write an actual story about this. Why did Foxtooth not know who Darkstream was? We may never know :). Mrrow! Like my cover? Oh, yeah! Please vote on my poll on my profile :D Thanks! :3


	2. Chapter 2: Frozen

_**Ha! Guess what people? I decided to make this into a story! Yay! These will be all of the one-shot challenges from Nightclan made into a not so one-shot story! :3 Thanks for all the good reviews!**_

**Chapter 2: Frozen**

Stormkit narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "What do you mean 'who's Darkstream?'"

"I mean, 'who's Darkstream?'!" Foxtooth answered in the same suspicious tone. "I'm asking you who she is."

"Maybe hitting her head at the bottom of the river made her crazy!" a voice sneered.

Foxtooth purred as his gaze centered on Shadekit. "Hello there, son, and that actually may be so."

"Hit my head on the bottom of the river?" she squeaked. "Why would I jump in?"

"You fell in," Flarekit laughed. "You snuck out of camp and went on the frozen river. You were so stupid you didn't even check to see if the ice was steady!"

Even though they were his kits, Foxtooth wouldn't tolerate this behavior. "Don't talk to your clanmate like that!" he hissed.

Flarekit and Shadekit bowed there heads. "Sorry father," they muttered, sounding genuinely guilty. Out of everything that happened, their reaction was what shocked Stormkit the most. Her dream siblings wouldn't admit that Foxtooth or herself were related to them, much less apologize to either.

"Who _are_ you guys?" she raised herself to her paws and began to inch towards the nursery door.

"Foxtooth," the tom chuckled nervously. "The deputy of Nightclan, helper of Darkstar-"

"_Dark_star?" the kit gasped in horror. _Could it be possible? Could her dream mother be leader?_

"Yeah, she's been leader since before we found you," Shadekit sniffed.

"_Found _me?" Stormkit blinked. "I'm not clanborn?"

"Of course not!" Flarekit spat disdainfully. "You always wished you were. No need to pretend you weren't."

This time Stormkit actually fled the nursery and felt the chill of leaf bare. She looked around to see a fluffy blanket of snow covering the ground. She headed towards the leader's den. "Hello?" she called.

"Stormkit?" a she-cat called from inside the leader's den. Stormkit stopped in her tracks and widened her eyes. There was on mistaking it, the cat that had spoken was her mother. This was her voice, but without the venom that was always there was gone.

"M-mother?" she stuttered as she stumbled into the den. The cat smelled like Darkstream, she looked like Darkstream, and she sounded like Darkstream. It was obvious. This was Darkstream.

"No, little one," Darkstar purred. "Your leader, Darkstar."

Stormkit took a step back._ Little one? That's what Foxtooth called me._

"Are you Darkstream?" she asked.

The leader's eyes darkened momentarily then went back to how they were before. "No one has called me that in quite a while," she hissed. "Calling a leader her warrior name is of great disrespect!" All forms of the niceness before had disappeared.

Stormkit trembled, but refused to move. "I'm sorry," she squeaked, voice going high from terror. Now that she had thought about it, the smile had never reached the leader's eyes. It was clear that the leader's heart had frozen.

"Get out of my sight!" the black she-cat spat.

The kit ran out of the den and nearly crashed into her two siblings. "Hey! Watch it, mouse!" Flarekit snarled, scooping up snow onto the smaller kit.

"Don't call be a mouse!" Stormkit protested, but to no avail.

"But you're small enough and weak enough to be one," Shadekit taunted, throwing another pawful of snow.

"Whatever," the silver kit muttered, shaking off the snow. "Can you take me to the river? The one I fell in?"

"So you can fall in again?" The two kits exchanged delighted glances. "Gladly."

Stormkit narrowed her eyes and flicked her tail for them to lead the way. Shadekit padded straight to the entrance of camp, but Flarekit took more precautions. The ginger kit looked around to make sure there were no cats about, but to no one's surprise, no cat decided to stay in the chilly air. Both she-cats followed the black kit quickly.

By the time they reached the river, Stormkit was freezing. Not that her thin pelt did anything to help that. Shadekit and Flarekit were shooting smiles at each other. "Go on, Mousekit," Flarekit sneered. "Go on the river."

Stormkit refused to back down and padded forward, testing the snow with every paw step. She could subconsciously hear the other two kits whispering to each other with the occasional giggle, but she kept going. She reached out to tap the ice with a tiny claw then pressed down with the paw. The ice didn't move. She sighed with relief and put one paw on the spot she tested. She reached out with the other front paw and slid her paw against the surface looking into the ice. She could see water slowly flowing at the bottom. She put her weight down and kept walking.

"It's completely frozen!" she purred with delight, sliding back and forth. "This is so fun!" Her denmates stared at her with mutinous glares and she rolled her eyes. _Probably plotting my demise._ Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud cracking noise.

Her sibling's chatter stopped suddenly as the cracking got louder. It sounded like thunder in her ears and she fell down. She felt a throbbing pain on her flank after she hit it on a particularly large piece of ice. "Help!" she yelped. The two kits ran forward, but Shadekit slipped on the ice and slid into the widening hole. Flarekit stopped, feeling stunned.

Stormkit gasped for breath as her head bobbed to the surface only to get a mouthful of water as she forced back under. She knew it was over. She gave in to the water and let it drift her wherever it may. She let out a surprised squeak as she felt jaws over her neck.

"Stop being a mouse for once and actually try to live!" Shadekit advised.

Stormkit quickly moved her paws in the water, but it was no use. "Where does the river lead?"

"To the lake," the tom answered.

"Let it take us there," she meowed. "It'll be calmer. Just try to stay on the surface."

Shadekit nodded, to Stormkit's surprise, and let himself be swept away. Stormkit followed suit and felt herself moving downwards. She adjusted her body once in a while to make sure Shadekit was still in sight. "We're almost there!" Shadekit sputtered. "I saw the claw rock."

"Ok!" she called back and spat out water from her mouth.

She felt the water beginning to calm down and began to paddle towards shore. "Stormkit? You there?" she heard the other kit call.

"Yeah!" she replied. "Head to shore." She collapsed on the sand gasping for breath. "Shadekit..."

"I'm here!" he ran up to her and began licking her fur the wrong way to warm her up.

"Thanks," she purred as she sat up. "Which way is camp?"

Shadekit flicked his tail at her and led the way. "We need to find my sister first."

"Right," Stormkit nodded.

The ginger kit was still staring at the water when they found her. "Ghosts!" she gasped. "You guys died!"

"No, we lived," Shadekit muttered grimly.

"No," she hissed. "Get away from me! You _died_! I saw you wash down the river."

"Flarekit, I-" he began.

"No! Go away!" the kit spat, but her eyes were wide with fright. "The river was frozen, but it wasn't so you guys are dead! I didn't save you. I couldn't."

"But its ok now," her brother mewed with a soothing voice. "We're here and alive." He reached out his tail, but Flarekit hissed and ran away towards camp. "Flarekit!"

"Its my fault," Stormkit mewed, suddenly interested at the snow on the ground. "If I didn't trust that the river had froze, she wouldn't be mad."

"Its ok," Shadekit meowed sadly. "She's always been like that." Stormkit looked at the river, which was already beginning to freeze over again, and dipped her paw in, breaking a thin sheet of ice.

"Thin ice isn't really frozen is it," the tom mused.

"No, it isn't."

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_**Author's Note**_**:** Thanks again for all the reviews! :D Stormkit plushie for the two people who voted on my poll :3. I have another story Rise Of The Abyss that I will be updating more frequently so check that out if you want. Link is on my profile. :) As you may have noticed, I changed this story from Complete to In Progress! Er... Next chapter's theme will be the quote "haters gotta hate" so its just a head up!

Coco out! ~


	3. Chapter 3: Haters Gonna Hate

**Chapter 3: Haters Gonna** **Hate**

Stormkit sighed as Shadekit shot her a glare from the elder's den. He had been punished and had to take care of the elders for a two moons. One moon in and he was still as hotheaded as always. Flarekit, was still panicked with fear that Shadekit and Stormkit were ghosts and Stormkit was apparently 'crazy' so Shadekit was the only one who was punished. This had brought their temporary truce to an end, sadly.

Stormkit padded up to Shadekit and smiled. "Do you need any help?" she asked.

The other kit just hissed and continued to make the moss nest. Stormkit blinked from hurt and walked away. She went to the fresh-kill pile, picked up a mouse, and nibbled on it half-heartedly. She heard a hiss and looked behind her.

Flarekit stood there next to Blackflower with wide panicked eyes. "Ghost!" she wheezed.

Shadekit, who finished making the elder's nest, snarled at Stormkit. "It's all you fault! If you never wanted to go to the river, she wouldn't be like this!"

Stormkit recoiled from the harsh words and barely held back a whimper. "I'm sorry," she apolagized and reached out with her tail to touch Flarekit's shoulder, but the kit shrank back with fright.

"It's not entirely your fault," Blackflower mewed slowly, as if Stormkit would have a hard time understanding her. "He shouldn't have took you to the river."

Stormkit growled at the medicine cat with frustration. "I'm not _stupid_! I just hit my head in the river!"

Shadekit rolled his eyes and Blackflower winced visibly. Flarekit took a step back and let out a whimper. "The ghosts... They're back to haunt me. And they're mad!"

"No, don't worry, sister," Shadekit purred. "We're alive and we're ok."

"They sound so genuine!" Flarekit gasped. "They're so..." She reached out with a paw as if about to touch her brother, but pulled it away three claw-lengths away from him.

Stormkit crept out of the den to give them some space. Blackflower followed her hesitantly, but sighed and turned around when Flarekit cried, "No! Don't leave me with the ghosts!"

Stormkit padded over to her father who was eating a mouse. "Yes, Stormkit?" he asked with the same insulting voice.

Her eyes lit up with ferocity and she hissed. "Why does everyone thing I'm _stupid_? That I can't understand what they are saying?" she snarled. "I was going to ask if I could have a punishment to make it up to Shadekit, but _no_! Only a _crazy_ cat would ask for a punishment." _  
_

Stormkit gave out one last hiss before stomping away, leaving a shocked Foxtooth with a mouse tail hanging from his mouth. "Uh..." He glanced around and saw Darkstar. She offered him a small smiled before padding back to her den.

The kit headed back to the den to meet Shadekit. "I was going to help you clean the elder's den this afternoon, but because of Foxtooth I won't."

"Fine!" Shadekit spat, hatred burning in his eyes. "I didn't want you to anyway.

Stormkit shot him a glare before storming (no pun intended) away, muttering incoherently. She hissed and laid down in the middle of camp near Snowfeather who slowly backed up uncomfortably.

Snowfeather seemed to gather up her courage before speaking. "What's wrong?"

"Everyone thinks I'm crazy and stupid now," she sighed.

The white she-cat smiled slightly. "Not everyone," she assured the kit. "Not me." Snowfeather crept closer and when Stormkit didn't object, laid down.

Stormkit continued. "They always talk slowly like I can't understand them and I wasn't even punished even though it was my fault that we were washed down the river. I even made Flarekit think her own brother was a ghost," she muttered sadly.

Snowfeather opened her mouth to reassure her, but realized that all the kit said were true. "I can't argue with that, but try to look on the bright side!"

"What bright side?" she muttered, bitterness dripping off of her voice.

"Well... You're becoming an apprentice tomorrow!"

"What?"

The warrior blinked. "I assumed you knew?"

"But I'm still five moons and... and _crazy_! Remember?" she murmured.

"Obviously Darkstar doesn't think you are, otherwise you wouldn't even be out here without a guard or something," Snowfeather shrugged.

"Are Flarekit and Shadekit becoming apprentices too?" she questioned hopefully.

Stowfeather's eyes darkened. "Shadekit is still under punishment and Flarekit is... well, you know."

"Shadekit is older than me," she gasped as realization hit her. Jealousy would only fuel his rage and make him even harder to cope with, if that was possible. "How will he feel?"

"Everyone knows how he'll feel," the white she-cat grumbled softly. "It might be good for Flarekit, though..." She trailed off thoughtfully.

"How?"

Snowfeather seemed to snap back from her thoughts before answering. "If she sees so many cats interacting with you, she might believe you're alive."

"Interesting theory," Stormkit purred. "Who do you think my mentor will be?"

"I don't know..." Snowfeather answered. "Burnclaw has Crowpaw and Creamtail has Smokepaw so it can't be them."

"I hope its you," the kit insisted. "You're the only one who doesn't think I'm crazy."

"You haven't talked to anyone besides the two kits, Foxtooth, Blackflower, and Darkstar," she shot back.

"Good point," she grudgingly admitted. "But still. Every other cat has probably spread gossip that I was so everyone must _think_ that I'm actually crazy so they wouldn't want to mentor me..."

Snowfeather hesitantly nodded in agreement. "That's true as well, but that won't matter. Darkstar has decided it and the leader's word is law," she meowed firmly. She glanced to the side as Foxtooth's voice rung through the clearing. "I think I'll go on a patrol."

Stormkit waved her tail goodbye as the warrior stood up and padded towards the deputy. She sighed and padded to the medicine den where Shadekit greeted her with a hiss. "What are _you _doing here?"

"I-I thought you might want some help," she explained. "Do you know?"

"Know what?" he asked. Part of his venom was replaced by curiosity.

"Never mind," she hastily mewed. "You'll find out tomorrow."

"Whatever," he growled. Shadekit picked up the bundle of moss soaked in mouse bile and headed towards the nursery. She paused a second before running after him.

When they reached the elder's den he set the moss down and snarled at her, "Why are you following me?"

"I just thought... That I could help," she blinked, eyes full of hurt.

Shadekit did not waver as he responded. "Then stop helping! You're just getting in the way."

"Get in here and start killing these fleas!" the elder yowled.

"Patience, fleabag," Shadekit muttered under his breath.

"Be nice," she warned him. "Rainpelt has served the clan for many moons..."

Shadekit sniffed indignantly and carried the mouse bile in. She could hear a crunch as Shadekit killed a plump flea between his teeth. She felt a presence approaching her and she turned around to see Snowfeather.

"I thought you had a patrol," she mewed, sounding surprised.

"It was full," Snowfeather purred. "I got there a second too late and Willowsong took the last spot."

Stormkit let out a sad chuckle and the humor died from Snowfeather's eyes. "What's wrong, little one?"

Stormkit's eyes widened from surprise, "Little one? Where'd you get that?"

"It just seemed like the right thing to say!" the warrior replied with a worried expression. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry," Stormkit mewed reassuringly.

"I'm still waiting for an answer," Snowfeather teased.

"Oh, uh. Shadekit is being mean again," she explained. "Nothing big."

"Well, haters gonna hate, little one."

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_**Author's Note**_**:** I know... Boring chapter... Oh, well. Uh, pretty much same as always. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed/voted on my poll! Vote on my poll (on my profile) and check out my other story too (also on my profile). Review please! They are my motivation! 3

Um... Random Fact Time? Ok, then!

Shadekit was supposed to be Shadowkit, but then I was like that's too cliché so I changed it :) heh heh

Coco out! ~


	4. Chapter 4: Apprentice Ceremony

_**This chapter has no theme :)**_

**Chapter 4: Apprentice Ceremony**

Snowfeather gave one last lick to Stormkit's head and gave a satisfied smile. "You're ready little one," she purred.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Darkstar's voice rung through camp. The leader looked around to make sure everyone was ready for the ceremony. "Stormkit, please step forward." Stormkit obeyed keeping a calm composure.

"You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stormpaw. Your mentor will be me."

Everyone turned their heads as a yowl of outrage was heard. "_What?_" Shadekit spat. "Flarekit and I are older than her and _we're_ not the crazy ones." Flarekit shrunk back with fear at her name.

Snowfeather blinked at Flarekit and meowed, "If I dare say, Flarekit is more crazy than Stormpaw."

Everyone held there breaths afraid of how Darkstar would react to insulting her kit. Darkstar nodded slowly to everyone's surprise. "That... is true," she admitted. "We had to delay her apprentice ceremony and we assumed that Shadekit would want to stay with her."

"How would you know?" the kit snapped with slight hesitation. Darkstar continued to look at him with the same even eyes and he sighed with defeat. "Fine. Besides, based off of the 'we', I'm guessing you had help deciding from Foxtooth."

"Guilty," Foxtooth mewed and Shadekit smiled importantly.

"Does anyone else have a comment?" Darkstar looked around daring anyone to speak.

"Me," Flarekit boldly piped up. "I-I want to be an apprentice!"

"Are you sure?" the leader questioned. "This is a very important decision. You have to believe that Stormpaw and Shadekit aren't ghosts... You'll be training alongside them."

Guilt flashed in her eyes. "I never believed they were ghosts," the kit cried. "I just didn't want to admit I couldn't save them."

Darkstar blinked slowly and after moments of silence nodded. "You have my approval. Shadekit and Flarekit step up."

Shadekit grinned at his sister, but his face fell when she didn't return it. Shadekit**, **you have reached the age of six moons, and I believe you are ready to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Shadepaw. Your mentor will be Snakestrike. I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you." Shadepaw nodded with contentment. Snakestrike was a large tom just like him.

"Flarekit,you have reached six moons of age, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Flarepaw. Your mentor will be Snowfeather. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you." Flarepaw beamed and touched noses with her mentor along with the other two newly named apprentices.

"Foxtooth, assign patrols then we'll set off to the training hollow for some hunting techniques," Darkstar ordered. "This meeting is dismissed."

The cats instantly crowded around Foxtooth as he assigned patrols. "Lavenderfur, lead a Mossclan border patrol with Bearclaw, Furzepaw, and Rabbitrun. I heard that Blackstar was causing some trouble with Lightningclan. There's no stopping them from attacking us too."

Lavenderfur nodded and beckoned for the cats chosen for the patrol to follow her. "Hm... Tigertail will take Sealsplash and Owlpaw to the Breezeclan border. Goldentail, take Willowsong and Bluestreak on a hunting patrol." The two patrols headed off as well. "The new apprentices and their mentors will hunt as well." The rest of the cats dispersed as Snakestrike followed Darkstar out of camp. The apprentices bounced after the two cats happily.

"What are we learning?" Stormpaw chirped enthusiastically when they reached the training hollow.

"The hunting crouch to start with," Darkstar informed the apprentice. She dropped down into the crouch easily and meowed, "Now you try."

The three apprentices lowered down with intense concentration. Stormpaw remembered the training from her 'dream' and crouched down. The mentors assessed their apprentices one by one.

"You're leaning a bit to you right," Snowfeather told Flarepaw kindly.

"Relax!" Snakestrike snorted. "You're as tense as a rabbit in a fox den."

"That's pretty good," Darkstar praised. "Keep you tail off the ground, though."

They spent several minutes correcting their crouches before Darkstar announced, "Let's try it for real. Drills catches no prey."

The apprentices exchanged delighted glances. This was their chance to prove themselves. "We'll set off in pairs, mentor and apprentice, to hunt." The other cats nodded and headed off in different directions.

Stormpaw looked around with her eyes wide trying to spot any prey. "Scent with you mouth," Darkstar advised quietly.

The apprentice smiled and opened her mouth. "Mouse," she gasped.

"Go for it," her mentor meowed encouragingly.

Stormpaw crept forward one paw in front of the other, gaze locked in on the mouse. Stormpaw flicked her ear as a fly landed on it, but kept moving. Her eyes widened as she prepared for the leap and lashed her tail with excitement disturbing a nearby bush. The mouse quickly disappeared down its hole to Stormpaw's disapointment.

"That was really good until the end," Darkstar informed the apprentice. "Remember to stay calm before you leap as well." Stormkit nodded sullenly. "It's getting a bit late. Let's head back to camp and see what the other apprentices caught."

A loud scream interrupted their lesson. "Help!" Flarepaw shrieked. Stormpaw and Darkstar raced to the scene and spotted a large shadow stalking the apprentice.

"What is it?" Stormpaw gasped.

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_**Author's Note**_**:** This chapter was a filler for the next one. The next theme is... Found! So basically the cats 'found' a strange animal. You'll find out what it is in the next chapter. :P The usual- Review and vote on my poll please! :)


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